About 75 members of Waterloo Region's tech community dropped by the Tannery Event Space Thursday to check out the first Tech Sessions showcase on the local arts scene.
The event turned the spotlight on two key celebrations this summer: The TD KItchener Blues Festival Aug.8-11, and the KOI Festival Sept.13-14. KOI focuses on the music of independent artists.
"We want this to become a regular event where we are drawing the tech community and calling on their support for the arts," Paul Donald, one of the organizers, said in an interview before the program began.
A date for a second showcase will be set later.
Two bands, Hinindar and LumberJunk, performed during Thursday's program. The event also introduced the tech community to Grand Social, the arts portal maintained by the Creative Enterprise Initiative.
Donald said companies should not only support the arts community by attending performances and exhibits, but also by booking artists for social events and creative training.
He called on the audience to embrace the arts as entertainment at the end of the day instead of heading home to watch television.
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